Small rodents, such as hamsters, small rats, gerbils, chinchillas, and mice, are commonly kept as pets. Typically, these animals are kept in cages or other small enclosures, restricting their movement within the confines of the enclosure. Various devices have been developed to provide these animals with exercise, such as by providing an “endless” track in the form of a wheel or by providing a moving enclosure that the rodent may move over a large area, such as the surface of a floor.
A hamster or animal ball is an example of such a moving enclosure which allows rodents, as well as other small mammals, to move around outside of the confines of a cage. A hamster ball is typically formed of two halves that are secured together. An opening is provided with a removable lid for securing the hamster or other rodent in the ball. Movement of the animal around within the ball causes the ball itself to rotate and move around the floor. In addition, a hamster ball may include a series of holes to allow for air circulation. Hamster balls are typically transparent so that the pet owner can observe the condition of the rodent within the ball. Without such a device, if left to move around, the rodent may get away or get into an undesirable place such as inside furniture or walls.
Commonly, snap fits are provided to affix halves of a hamster ball together. However, the snap fits are typically aligned or contiguous with the walls of the hamster ball and if the ball gets crushed, the snap fits may let go. In addition, there is little surface area that is parallel to the mating surfaces of the ball, which may complicate assembly. Further, the features of the snap fits often result in sharp transitions within the ball wall that the rodent must maneuver around or over to move the ball. This may impede the movement of the rodent. In other examples, the hamster ball halves are secured together with screws or by ultrasonic welding. These processes require additional steps and equipment other than just positioning the two ball halves relative to each other. Accordingly, room for improving the design of hamster balls remains.